With a little rest for about 3 days, I got back on the horse and with some modifications to the schedule I completed 25 of the 36 scheduled miles. Modification is the key word here as I try to play catch-up with schedule without bumping my weekly miles into crazy town. I got in some speed work and completed my weekend runs of 6 and 10 with some pain but very manageable, no limping after. Now it’s about pain management, Ice, Tiger Balm, rolling (both lacrosse ball and foam roller), NSAIDs and lots of stretching.
I lucked out a bit, I was delaying my run on Saturday on hopes of my new Brooks Ghosts 6’s would arrive in time. As we got ready to leave we had an impromptu conversation with our friend Emily. As usual we talked for a at least 20 minutes. As we departed the neighborhood, we passed the FedEx man, quickly turned around and picked up the new kicks. I can honestly say thus far they have been a game changer!
It’s been getting harder and harder to find interesting places for our long runs. This past weekend we ran at the Duck Pond in Ridgewood, and Sunday in Franklin Lakes doubling the Wyckoff Tri 5 mile running route. For the next couple of weekends we have our long run covered with some races. This upcoming weekend we are running the “Run the Reservoir” half marathon in Westwood NJ.
As always Bring on the Funk .. wha whaaat?
I had said before that unlike my first blog about running the NY Marathon, I did not want this to become a bitch fest. Now for the second time in 2 weeks I find myself with an injury. The calf bounced back quickly and without a real problem, I had a real good week of running and with my legs feeling fantastic and full of energy despite running 6 miles the day before at Rockland Lake, I now have foot pain in my right side. This one is harder to pin point exactly what it is. It’s the bottom of my foot, the pain starts right under the ball of the foot on the big toe side, it also radiates under the arch. I would like to say plantar fasciitis, but it’s not acting stereotypical. I have no heel pain (pain located towards the forefoot), and I don’t have the classic “pain in the morning”. Well it’s NSAIDs, ice and stretching for me, yay!!
It’s all very frustrating, but it does come with the territory and there is plenty of time before the NY Marathon, I might have to raise my goal time, but I do have time to heal up. Karen in turn is plugging along real well.
Sunday before the pain took over we were having a very nice run in Central Park for the first time since last fall. Also a first for me was running the 1.5 mile loop around the Jackie O Reservoir, with its 360 degree view of the city it is quite spectacular.
I am awaiting a new pair of Brooks Ghost 6, I am hoping the new kicks will solve all my woes, I will probably use some inserts to give my arch some support. I will throw all I have at the problem to solve it.
Bring on the funk!! whaa whaa?!?!?
Week 6 was a recover from the calf injury from week 5. Slightly nerve racked from all the what if’s of this injury.
What if:
- it takes more than a week to heal?
- I hurt it really bad?
- I can’t run NY?
- I can but have to run it slower?
- Karen can run faster than me?? haha that’s a real funny one (she doesn’t read my blog so it doesn’t matter what I say about her)
Well after exactly one week off, and not doing anything stupid during the week I set out for a short run in Saturday. Before I tell you how that went lets just say the mental-ness that is me and discussed in Week 5’s installment, it was very difficult to keep from doing dumb things. The calf started feeling better each and every day, going from I can’t touch the calf or walk without a limp, to walking pretty normal and being able to massage the area. During Spin class (I stayed seated) i kept wanting to stand and pedal on the bike and had to talk myself down from such stupidity, not once but 3 times. Never mind the countless times I wanted to try running up the stairs to test it out. Sanity won out the week.
Back to Saturday, I gingerly warmed up by walking then I slowly started to run, I decided to warm up further by heel striking the first mile before gathering up the courage to go back to mid-foot striking (mid-foot strike put more stress on the calf) although I did feel a tightness in the calf it was very bearable and finished up 3 miles in about 30 minutes and celebrated immediately after with a beer at my favorite local brewery Rushing Duck.
Chester NY
Sunday, was out local very hilly 10K. A 10 K was a bit ambitious coming off the injury, especially a hill bitch that this was. A bit of heel strike a bit of mid-foot, 58 minutes and change later , 6.2 mile done! Then were some angry calf’s, both of them but no acute pain. Karen ran 2 mile to the start and finished the 8 miles she set out to do, and even though she does not read any of this, I have to say no matter how long of a run, she always looks cool and comfortable in her stride. I am proud.
Hopefully onward and upward with the training, I need to repeat the last training week I completed, then on to week 6 then I can skip a week to catch up. Wish me luck!!
I still don’t have a sign off so .. bring on the funk!! whaa whaa?!?!?
Nothing comes easy, well not for me and marathon training that is. My last marathon I trained for was the Seattle RNR in 2010. That training ended in a knee injury 6 weeks prior to the race but I managed to complete it anyway. So here we are in week 5 everything clicking along nicely then BAM!! Emeril appears, well no, my left calf grabs and pulls. Everything I read about calf strains is not really good, they tend to be a nagging injury that sticks around. I do not have time for that!! I am keeping myself on the shelf for 7-10 days and I am hoping that will be enough, it’s mentally really tough not to run when the time is ticking away until November 3.
Yesterday marked the first time I have signed up for a race and was unable to toe the line. I knew driving to the race to pick up my 25 dollar t-shirt that I was not only incapable of running but not supposed to run, but there I was getting my shirt and I was wearing all my running gear, I obviously have a problem.
Day 1- pain while walking, tender to the touch
Day 2 – no pain while walking, cannot toe off walking up stairs
Day 3 – no longer painful to the touch or push, able to stretch without pain
I am making progress and I am hoping it’s not as bad as it seems.
Week 4 uneventful.. that is all!!
Ok I guess it’s not much of a blog post if it only has one sentence. Training is going well or as well as can be expected, with week 6 looming after this one I will enjoy the low mileage and the semi slow running. I have leaned a little about how my body feels at a slower speed, this is a good thing. After most runs in the past I would run at a much higher speed, when I would be done my body would feel sometimes stiff and beat up, running @ about 1.5 minutes per mile slower I hardly feel the effects of the run DUH dumbass!!
It is funny how much and how little I still know about running after 10 years. In a sense I am glad about that because I am still learning and growing as a runner. I don’t have all the answers and I suspect I never will, and that OK.
Back to week 4, 21 miles in total over 6 days no speed work no tempo runs and approximately 2,900 calories burned. My weight held steady after 4 weeks of dropping, I am not surprised after eating much smoked pork and an a half of a pineapple for Sunday (7/28) night dinner with the Oladipo’s. It was well worth it! Just a couple of more pounds I will be at race weight.
I need a good sign off, any suggestions? I can’t continue to steal the Reggae Marathon running guys’ “Until next time”
Laziness, procrastination, mourning a dogs loss, these are among the excuses I am using for not writing this blog. Truth be told, I don’t love writing, so this is a bit of a chore. Running/training on the other hand is , well a bigger chore but I cannot afford to miss doing those.
I love running races, and I wish every training run was done with a race. Happily some of the longer runs in the near future will be done in a race atmosphere without actually racing.
So lets sum up really quick the last 2 weeks. Friggen hot, yep that sums it up. Well those who know me well enough know I like the heat so it really hasn’t been a big deal. I have survived for the most part running 4 days in a row in 2 consecutive weeks, of course it has only been a 15 mile week and a 21, but hey it’s a start. This is the first 2 times in my life I have ran 4 straight days, and earlier today I ran a 5th straight because, well work calls.
Well there you have it. As some great blogger writes.. until next time…..
Opus, not a big fan of speedwork or was in the process of catching a ball.. you decide.
So OK it wasn’t really a week, but that’s the way it was written. A short 10 miles of running in 4 days. A 3, a 3 and a 4 mile run. All rather simple, one done as a race in Goshen (GAW 5K). Although I am supposed to keep my speed @ 9:51-10:21 I decided to bang out a 24 minute 5K, I am guessing this was my last race of the year for speed till 11/3 and the Marathon.
Right now my goal time for the NY Marathon is 3:50. I have no Idea if I can even do that but as training goes on I will surely find out. I am using the Hanson Marathon Method which is radically different that any other training program written by me or anyone else. I will cause me to run 6 days a week eventually and up to 26 miles on the weekend. The upside is no 18, 20 or even 22 mile single day runs. So we shall see, so far so good I am enjoying the slower running and the difference on how my body feels after. Week 6 is what separates the boys from the men as the miles go up greatly and the speedwork begins.
Good thing about this training is both Karen and I are on the same schedule, so we will be doing this together. We will try our best to vary our running routes, and keep it fun.
Just finishing up week 2 now, I will do my best to stay caught up!!
On a sad note, this week Karen and I lost our beloved pup Opus, he was 13. He will be missed greatly, it’s been a very sad week. We will move on without him with overwhelming sadness.
Back in 2004 I received an entry into the NY Marathon, I was a neophyte runner at the time having only been a “runner” for about 8 months. Seemed like a once in a lifetime dealy so I decided to jump in feet first, literally. So to commemorate my training endeavor I had decided to blog about my training, for 2 reasons: 1. so I would have a journal to look back on and 2.for friends that I am not in touch with on a daily basis would be able to follow what I was doing. This was before Facebook. Still I believe this type of forum is better than posting everyday about it on FB plus it will only annoy the people who care to click on the link. As it turns out, my Blog Twenty Six Point 2 to Go was a giant bitch fest of weather and the pains of running. The final Marathon Day post was worthwhile though.
So here again I will detail whats going on with training to the best of my ability. My procrastination has already put me behind about one week of training. So off we go, this time I will be joined by my dear wife Karen who will be acting as a full-fledged participant in running her first Marathon, and not just supporting my sorry ass this time around.
I was not planning on writing any sort of a blog post regarding the atrocity of the Boston Marathon on 4/15/13. I certainly wasn’t planning on writing this in regards to my beloved Reggae Marathon and all the “One Love” that surrounds it, but as I sit here listening to some Reggae I can’t help but reflect on the bombings, the runners and people it affected.
I will never understand why any one person or groups beliefs should impact others’ lives with vile and disgusting actions. Runners as community were affected deeply because of the bombings happening at one our most esteemed events. The news of the bombing traveled quickly to me via phone calls, texts, and Facebook from friends and family. What became amazing to me was a lot of the messages I received and sent to/from people I have met only once in my lifetime. What a lot of these people have in common is The Reggae Marathon. It’s a race to me that is unlike any other. I have forged friendships that have gone beyond the race, I was truly touched by getting messages from the island nation just to check if I was OK. There needs to be more caring in this world and less separation, the older I get the more it disturbs me.
As a world we need to learn a little about “One Love” and “Out of Many, One People.”
Reggae Marathon II, RM Deux or RM 2012, call it what you want, I call it the return to the best race on the planet.
This was my second year running in Negril (Running in Paradise) and it lived up to every expectation and memory from the year before.
It all started very similar, leaving NY very early in the morning on a very cold Thursday before the race. Arriving in Montego Bay we made our way through the airport, looking ahead as we were getting to customs I noticed a gentleman holding a sign, at that point I could only see the top of the sign that said Reggae Marathon, being excited I pointed it out to the group, as I got closer I noticed it was my name on it written underneath. Talk about feeling like a rock star, Diane Ellis(sponsorship Director) arranged a person from the Jamaica Tourist Board to usher us through customs. Thanks!
Staying at Beaches Negril definitely has it’s advantages, they have a hospitality room at the airport to wait in while they arranged transportation, even better they have refreshments, including beer, ah yes beer at 10:00 am, welcome to Jamaica and vacation. With refreshments in hand we step outside, the warmth and humidity immediately enveloped me in a big hug as I looked to the sun, I literally could have pulled up a chair right there and stayed.
One refreshment stop and 1.5 hours later we arrived to the greatest greeting you can ever get at a resort, hugs all around and a welcoming home. Big ups to Karen P and staff @ Beaches Negril. We pretty much knew right there we made a great choice.
Easy Skankin @ the Pasta Party
Fast forward ahead to the “Worlds Best Pasta Party”. I was really looking forward to connecting with my old and new friends from the cyber world. First off this year we were in very short walking distance to pick up our numbers and swag, which we did then went back to the resort changed and headed over to the Pasta Party, getting to see both the hard working Diane Ellis and Chris “That Running Guy” Morales, he is the official blogger for the RM. More big hugs, it was great seeing them after meeting them the year before. Shortly after Dan Cumming came toddling over, so we had a little reunion of the Reggae Runners Half Marathon Challenge.
At the event, I was asked to go on local sports radio for a short interview about the race, training and general interest, Karen joined in as well midway. That was a lot of fun since I haven’t been on the radio in a couple for decades and reminded me how much fun radio is.
On the Air
Being close to the start line we actually got a little more sleep (some got even more when their wake up call did not come) but we were still awake by 3:00 am for the very prompt 5:15 am start. The dark walk towards the loud Reggae Music and start line was invigorating.Along the way we passed the unlit torches and their bearers. We ran into Race Director Frano and then to several other reggae friends. The start as stated was exactly on time.
This year since I was dealing with a cranky knee, I was going to pace Karen through the 10K. So to the sound of Bob Marley’s “Jammin” we were off and running in the dark passing the now lit torches. It’s a party start with people singing, dancing and running, the real serious folk are up front busting it out.
My wife Karen ran her heart out and came up short of her PR but she gave it her all and that’s what matters. Leaving her at the 10K turn around I was off to finish the final 7 miles of the Half Marathon. I stopped at the Mile 6 “refreshment stand” for some needed liquid and a banana, at that point Easy Skankin Member Candice caught up to me and I joined her for a mile or so. With my knee pretty much bugging me at every step I figured running a little faster would help, I was wrong. What did help was making a new friend. I started up a conversation with Shelly Ann Stewart and native Jamaican living in all places New York. She was running the full Marathon, having company and conversation I forgot all about my knee and we helped each other for the next 5 miles or so. Splitting at the 13.1 mile mark I finished the race with a time of 2:08.56. Coincidentally that was just 9 seconds slower than the previous year, 23 minutes slower than my PR back in May, but this race is all about celebration and that’s exactly what I did.
Easy Skankin
Coconut water (from the coconut itself), beer, beach and ocean is the way you celebrate the Reggae Marathon, there is nothing better. Old and new friends reveling in a race well run as the sun shines down upon you.
Vacation continued for the next 5 days. A short run down the beach and through the water I ran into Dan and Chris sitting on the beach outside their hotel on the beach and was immediately offered a beer, now that’s how you hydrate on 7 mile beach, OK maybe not recommended but hey I am in Negril.
This was my 100th official road race since I started running 8 years ago. I could think of no better way of celebrating that occasion. The Reggae differentiates itself in one major way for me. In no other race have I made the kinds of friendships and experienced they type camaraderie. The online presence of Twitter and Facebook, has made this a special experience for me. Meeting the real people behind the twitter handles and the FB people in person makes this a lot of fun. I would have thought that meeting these friends in the real world could be awkward, but I am finding some real connections. This is a special race and anyone considering a destination race should put this one on their list.
2011 Reggae Marathon
Dan, Chris and myself.. Ricks Cafe.
lsfitness 